This sabal palm leaf was floating in the water of Clay Gully, a tributary of the Myakka River. A polarizing filter on the camera lens and a little tweaking with Color Efex Pro in processing darkened the water and added to the leaf’s glow, which was substantial enough in the first place to draw attention.

There may not be anything that senesces as beautifully as palm leaves. As they lose their life, they acquire a sinuousness that they did not have on the tree. And before they become crumbly, some almost glow. Here’s the first of four photographs of palm leaves I took at Sleeping Turtles recently.